June 30, 2005

Well, I’m back after quite a long, long gap - spent a few weeks at Hyderabad. I also missed out my one of my friend’s wedding that I actually wanted to attend. My summer vacation is going to end this Monday. Back in college again! Huh!

I am reminded of a certain incident and I'll share it with you. I’m very particular about gender discrimination and I don’t encourage it. I will tell you a small incident which will mirror this very idea of it. It so happened that a few weeks back I went to the RTO office to get a learner’s license for a four-wheeler. There were many others who came with the same purpose as mine. We were asked to stand in a queue to pay some amount for the receipt and to get our photograph taken. It was quite a long queue but, what troubled most of us was the soaring heat at that part of the day.

It took 5-10 minutes for each person to get his work done – my turn came up only after waiting for 40 minutes. I was the only lady in the queue. After sometime, a 30-35 year old lady showed up and forced her way into the room (where we were supposed to go) by avoiding the already formed decent long line. Some of the gentlemen raised their brows but didn’t say anything to her. After sometime, an elderly man came up to me (it seemed to me as if he was an employee of RTO) and told me that this queue was not meant for ladies and that ladies (here, I) can go inside without standing in lines and get their work done becaue they had to be given special treatment, unlike men.

I politely turned down his advice and continued to stand in the same place where I was before. A little while later, he came up to me again and gave me the same advice. This time I had to give him my answer. I told him that I would be quite comfortable standing than going inside under such special norms. I also informed him of the equality between men and women that I believe in. He was quite surprised to hear such a thing from a girl. He said that if you (women) yourself say like this then what can we men do about treating you specially at public places and government offices. I said there was no need of such so-called ‘special treatment’ and moreover, if they (men) can stand in long queues and wait then I as a woman also can do that.

Don’t degrade us nor provide us with any special treatment. Treat us properly as you would treat any other man and that’s more than enough.